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Hire power: Experienced firm leaders offer tips from conception to fruition

By: Jane Pribek//December 18, 2012//

Hire power: Experienced firm leaders offer tips from conception to fruition

By: Jane Pribek//December 18, 2012//

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Michelle Hernandez stands at the Middleton office of her firm, Krueger & Hernandez SC. She recently hired a fifth lawyer and wants to add a sixth. (Staff photos by Kevin Harnack)

You can get good help these days.

“It’s an employer’s market,” said attorney Michelle Hernandez, who recently hired a fifth lawyer and wants to add a sixth for her Middleton-based firm, Krueger & Hernandez SC.

The market is strong enough that employers no longer really need to hire recruiters, said Roe Wiersgalla, office manager at Warshafsky, Rotter, Tarnoff & Bloch SC, Milwaukee.

“You can find quality candidates on your own,” Wiersgalla said.

Hernandez and Wiersgalla have hired people on multiple occasions, and both offered some tips for the best ways to navigate what can be a tricky process.

Advertising the position

When creating the ad, ask for just a cover letter and resume, Hernandez said. Strong writing skills were important to her when she recently filled an associate opening, but she decided she could adequately assess candidates’ talents based on just those two items.

She said she didn’t want to immerse herself in law school papers. It was a wise decision, she said, because the firm received 72 applications.

Wiersgalla said candidates should have some experience. It’s worth every penny, she said, to get a higher-quality employee who won’t need substantial training.

Both recommended Craigslist or college and law school placement offices to advertise vacancies, though Wiersgalla said word-of-mouth is a good first approach.

Surprisingly, Craigslist produced the largest volume and best-qualified applicants for her recent hire, Hernandez said. From the responses, she said, she looked for something that made the candidate stand out, rejecting anyone who used the cookie-cutter, law-school approach.

The interview

Hernandez tried an unorthodox technique, a group interview, for the recent hire.

She set aside two hours, on two consecutive days, and candidates chose one of the days to visit. On both days, Hernandez, her law partner and key staff members met with the group of candidates. She would ask a question, and each candidate was given two minutes to answer.

“It was great to see their dynamic with each other, their articulation and the way they interacted,” Hernandez said. “It was especially important because it was an attorney position, and it was really easy to see who shined over the others.”

Wiersgalla uses traditional interviews, paying close attention to responses and also looking for nonverbal indicators. Eye contact is important, she said, as is whether the candidate arrives alone.

Some candidates bring a parent. Another forgot he promised to babysit that day and brought his 2-year-old nephew to the interview. He did not get the job.

After the candidate leaves, Wiersgalla said, she takes it as a positive sign if she can’t recall what the person was wearing. It means, she said, the candidate knew how to convey an appropriate professional appearance.

The background check

Wiersgalla said potential employers should speak to everybody on candidates’ reference lists, and then go a little deeper by asking candidates for another name or two.

In addition to references, Hernandez checks LinkedIn and Facebook profiles. On the latter, she said, it’s a red flag if a candidate hasn’t bothered to use privacy settings and has left questionable posts open for anyone to see.

Testing

Wiersgalla gives basic, multiple-choice grammar, spelling and vocabulary tests during the interview.

“The results serve me far beyond how accurate they are,” she said. “Do they follow the directions I give them? For instance, I point out they are two-sided, and I tell them, ‘When finished, go back to the receptionist and tell her to let me know you are finished. Keep everything for me, though, and don’t give the paperwork to the receptionist.’

“It’s surprising how many candidates give the paperwork to the receptionist and how many miss the second side of the test, including college grads.”

Hernandez said her firm hired a consultant to administer a short, at-home personality assessment to the six people who stood out from the first interview. The goal was to find someone with strong leadership skills.

Only two people were invited for a second interview, and the entire firm participated. She said it was a good way for her to get more input and a good way for everyone to feel more invested in the new hire’s success.

The negotiations

Be flexible, Wiersgalla said. If hiring an experienced candidate means giving more flex-time or the opportunity to work from home occasionally, that’s a trade worth making, she said.
Hernandez said she makes it clear at the initial interview that there would be a set a number for the salary, so a higher figure wouldn’t be considered.

Getting started

Be detailed in assigning tasks, Hernandez said. That includes explaining expectations regarding deadlines for work, protocols for answering the phone and even the fact that everybody washes out their own coffee mugs.

In addition, cover topics such as the firm’s culture and the practice’s brand and professional image, Wiersgalla said. For example, she said, if the firm caters to professionals who wear traditional business clothing, the training period for the employee is the optimal time to communicate the rules regarding mirroring that look.

It’s also a good time to overcome any difficulties with delegating tasks.

“It’s amazing how quickly it comes to you once you start,” Wiersgalla said. “Delegate all that you can, the sooner, the better, because good staff will take a proprietary interest in it.”

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